Lisa J. Banks

Lisa Banks is a founding partner of Katz Banks Kumin LLP, where she concentrates her practice on sexual harassment and whistleblower retaliation, as well as employment discrimination, Title IX, SEC and CFTC whistleblower tips, and contractual employment disputes. Considered to be one of the leading attorneys of the #MeToo movement, Ms. Banks has successfully litigated employment discrimination and whistleblower protection cases at the trial court and appellate level for over 25 years.

Ms. Banks has significant experience in federal and state courts and has represented clients in a variety of employment and whistleblower matters. She has also represented numerous whistleblowers before the Department of Labor (DOL) in the transportation, nuclear, financial, and pharmaceutical industries. Ms. Banks notably represented Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, and Dr. Rick Bright, a former official at the Department of Health and Human Services who was removed from his position in retaliation for raising concerns about the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Ms. Banks represents over 40 former employees of the Washington Commanders who came forward to expose the organization’s toxic work environment and financial misconduct under owner Dan Snyder, ultimately leading to the team’s sale.

Ms. Banks is frequently cited by news outlets as being a leader in employment, whistleblower, and sexual harassment law. In 2017, The Best Lawyers© In America named her “Employment Lawyer of the Year” for Washington, D.C., and she is regularly included in their annual rankings. Since 2006, she has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” by Washingtonian Magazine, and in 2023, she was named to the magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Washington” list.

Ms. Banks received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut in 1990, and a J.D. degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1995, where she served as an editor on the Denver University Law Review. Prior to forming Katz Banks Kumin, she was an attorney in the EEOC’s Office of General Counsel and an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Counsel to the President at the White House.